Jacob felbel



OOOOOOOO POOL RACK.

l ,um

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB FELBEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

POOL-RAC K.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 299,365, dated May 27, 1884.

Application filed April S, 1884. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern/f Be it known that I, JACOB FELBEL, of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pool-Racks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this application.

As is well known to those familiar with the use of pool-racks, the present mode of indieatable, because of the defacement occurring to rack that I know of for registering orindicat-` the rack, (which is usually made of wood having a furniture iinish,) the liability of obliteration by accident of some of the chalk marks made by the game-keeper, and for other obvious reasons. Yet no mechanical means has ever been combined with or applied to a pooling the forfeiture score or marks.

I propose by my invention to overcome all the objections to the previously practiced mode of keeping the forfeiture-scores on a pool-rack or analogous implement; and to this end and object my invention consists in the combination, with the rack or ball-receptacle, of means for indicating marks or forfeitures and capable of being manipulated for such purpose, as will be hereinafter more fully eX.- plained.

A secondary feature of my invention consists in providing the indicator with means for holding each of its fingers or pointers in either of two positions or conditions in which said fingers may be set, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I shall now proceed to more fully describe the same, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of a common pool-ball rack having my invention applied section of the same, taken at the line x x of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a similar section, but showing the indicator-finger turned round to the side of the rack; and Fig. 4 shows three detail views illustrating a desirable method of making the indicators.'

In the several views the same parts will be found designated by the same letters of reference.

A represents a pool-ball rack, composed, as usual, of aback portion, B, side pieces, C C, and shelves or ball-supporting surfaces D.

E is a tube, ou which are strung or placed a suitable number of index-fingers or pointers, F, and said tube is vertically attached to the front edge of one of the sides (preferably) ofthe rack by anysuitable securing devices-such, for inthereto. Fig. 2 is a partial enlarged crossstance, as those shown at Fig. l/where the tube is represented held in place laterally by two screw-eyes, e e, one screwed into the side piece, C, at near the top, and the other at near the bottom thereof, and held in position vertically by two flanged caps or plugs, f, one located at each end of the tube, and either or both of which .may be made detachable therefrom, for the purpose of permitting the tube to be slid in and out of the screw-eyes, to put on or take off the indicator attachment.

Each one of the fingers F is complete in itself, or a unit, and capable of separate manipulation, for the purpose and in the manner to be presently explained, and by preference is composed of a single piece of sheet metal and formed into about the shape shown-that is to say, with a tubular body portion to encircle or partially surround the tube E, and also with a tapering part or finger-like portion eX- tending therefrom, which is designed to be brought or turned to the front of the rack and indicate a mark of forfeiture.

In the use of a pool-rack embodying my i11- vention, it will be readily understood that in order to record during the game the marks 7 or scratches incurred by the players it is simply necessary to turn the pointers F around from the side of the rack, (see Fig. 3,) their normal locality, to the front or face thereof, as shown at Fig. 2, and that when it becomes necessary to remove the marks it will of course be understood that the pointers are simply turned back again t0 their first posi- IOO tions at the side ol' the rack. It will at once be seen that this mode of tallying marks of forfeiture is simple, correct, and cleanly, and much more desirable in other respects than the heretofore-practiced method.

In the manufacture of the pointers F theyT may be made from a blank of sheetv metal, such as seen in edge and plan Views at Fig:

. 4, and by any suitable machine or appliances formed into the shape shown in this iigure, and adopted as well in all the other views, oomprising a tubular portion at one end, the extremity of the metal m at that end being turned in slightly toward the axial line of the tubular portion, for a purpose to be presently eX- plained, and a shank-like portion or finger, the extremity ol' which is slightly bent or curled up, as at g, for the purpose of permitting the turning of the device F with greater eonvenience.

The tube E,I prefer to have made with two longitudinal grooves or indentations,as plainly seen at i fi', Figs. 2 and 3, into one or the other of which the part m ofthe pointer device may spring, 'according as the pointer is turned to the front or the side ofthe rack.

The pointers are made, preferably, of material ofa springy nature, and the part m is of course capable of springing into and -out of the depressions in the tube as the pointer is turned; and by this construction there are obtained these desiderata: a firm bearing on the tube E of the boss-like part ol" the pointer and the holding of the pointer at either the front or side o1" the rack with a slight degree of resistance, and hence against casual or eareless turning, yet free to be moved readily intentionally.

Ol" course, instead of the tube E shown, a solid rod or other verticallysupporting means may be employed, and in lieu of the shown and described sheet-metal tapering pointers or indicators, other devices differing in material, form, and arrangement on the vertical support may be used without departing from the spirit of my invention, the gist of which has already been fully stated. Therefore, without limitation of any kind,

I claim, broadlyl. In combination with a pool-ball rack or analogous implement, aseries of devices adapted to indicate the marks or forleiture-seores of the players, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with a pool-rack, marking fingers or devices adapted to be held in either one of the two positions in which theyr may be set against casual displacement, as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 3d day of April, 1884.

JACOB FELBEL.

In presence of* M. H. SMITH, 'BERNARD J. KELLY. 

